This is the story, told in pictures, of how jars of fresh, artisanal honey made their way to the free produce stand in the All Peoples Darius Simmons Community Garden.
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| These are bee hives. In nature, bees make their own hives, but bee keepers build these little houses which are just perfect for honey bee colonies. Each bee in the colony has its own job. Forager bees are the bees we see in the garden. Their job is to go out into the world, flying from flower to flower to collect nectar (the sweet juice in the center of the flower). The nectar will be turned into food for the bees in the hive. Pollen from flowers sticks to the bees, so as the bees go from flower to flower, that pollen moves from flower to flower with them. This pollinating process makes it possible for plants and trees to produce fruits, from apples to zucchini. This is why taking good care of bees is so important! |
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When the forager bees come home to the hives, they give the nectar to the house bees. A little bit of bee spit from the forager mixes with the nectar. A little bit more bee spit mixes in when the nectar goes to the house bee. That bee spit helps the nectar turn into honey.
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Inside the hive, the house bees build little hexagonal cylinders out of wax to hold the nectar. After bees squirt the nectar into the wax hexagons, the bees inside the hive make a warm breeze with their wings to remove some of the water from the nectar. The nectar becomes thicker. That is how it becomes honey! To keep the honey fresh, the bees make a little beeswax cap for each hexagonal honey pot. In this photo you can see the honeycomb - all of the little hexagons are filled with honey!
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Bee keepers collect honey from the hives by removing some of the honeycomb. It is important to leave enough honey in the hive so that the bees have food for the winter! Remember, honey is bee food first, and people food second.
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The process of collecting the honeycomb and squeezing out the honey is sticky business!
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| This is a honey press. |
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| Look at all that honey!! |
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| It's important to remember that raw honey should not be given to children under age 2. |
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| The pressed honey is then decanted into jars. |
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| Good to the last drop!! |
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And that is the story of how jars of yummy honey made it to the All Peoples produce stand. Thank you to Pastor Larry, the honey team and friends from St. Olaf for this fun Partner Plot Project!!
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